Easy Steps To Creating Powerful, Focused Articles

This single strategy will help you will help you write clear, concise copy and keep you from rambling and getting off topic - which will make every email, article, web page and sales letter more effective. This ultimately means you'll get better response, attract more patients and therefore make more money.

This strategy, which I shall refer to as "The Power of One" is the idea that no matter what you are writing. . . from a blog post to a book. . . you just concentrates on one good idea.

The only problem with this seemingly simple, yet effective technique is it isn't always as easy to implement as you'd think. To help keep you focused and before you start writing answer these questions and every future piece you create will be perfect:


What is my topic?
What is the one big idea I want to address?
What one audience am I writing for?
What is the one desirable promise I will make that my audience will benefit from?
What is the one compelling story I will tell?
What is the one core emotion I will use throughout?
That leads to one action that I am leading the reader too

After you've answered these questions, use them as your guide when writing. Then once you've completed your draft, you'll want to check for the following three items to make sure you've used the "power of one" in your copy

Focus on one single good idea. Good copy focuses on one single good idea. The problem is many people don't stick to this. If when reviewing your copy, it seems like you are not sticking to one idea, see if narrowing down your idea helps.

For example, let's say you want to write about how to use social media to generate leads for your business. This might be okay for a book, however that's a pretty broad topic for an article. To narrow it down, try picking one type of social media. . . like Twitter, to focus on.

Another way that will help you focus on one good idea is to make sure you are only targeting one audience. With the topic, "How to use Twitter to generate leads" you would write differently to brick and mortar businesses for instance versus online marketers.

Focus on clarity of language. Zero in on the power of one by checking for language clarity. The easiest way to check this is to use your Flesch-Kincaid (FK) score when you use your spell-check. Your FK score shows you what grade level you are writing at. It is usually suggested that you write at a reading level of below 7. 5. An FK score higher than that suggests your writing is not clear enough. To fix this problem, try eliminating adjectives. Use active verbs. And read your writing out loud to make sure you aren't fumbling over words and your language sounds clear.

Be specific. Check your details to make sure they all relate to your one big idea. If they don't, cut them. If you need more details, do more research to find out more details about the who, what, when, why and how that relate to your one big idea.

Keep your writing to one idea and keep that one idea up front. Let people know what your one big idea is right away so they will know why they are reading your story. When you do, you'll find your promotions, articles and books generate a higher response than ever before.

This will help you write clear, concise copy and keep you from rambling and getting off topic - which will save you time. And best of all, it will help you create an emotional connection between your customers and your products and services. . . which means they'll buy more and more often.

To summarise these steps and to speed up your writing process copy the following "Power of One" list and keep it with you when you write in order to keep you focused and on track.

Power of One Checklist

Step 1: Define your topic:

Step 2: Name the one big idea you want to address

Step 3: Name the one desirable promise you will make for your audience

Step 4: Decide on the one compelling story you will tell (if possible keep to one story)

Step 5: Name the one core emotion you will use throughout

Step 6: Name the one action you want the reader to do. (i. e. Give you their name &; email, click through to your order page, pick up the phone and call your location, etc. )

Step 7: Keeping the above in mind, write your piece.

Step 8: Review your copy:

1. Does your copy stick to one good idea?

If no, would narrowing your topic help?
Would narrowing your audience help?

2. Is your FK score 7. 5 or lower?

If no, read aloud and see where you stumble.
Eliminate adjectives
See where you can use active verbs

3. Do all of your details relate to your one idea?

If no, eliminate the details that stray from your topic.

4. Do you have enough details?

If no, then do research to find out more relating to the who, what, when, where, why &; how

W.J. Simmons has been involved in complementary health for over 25 years as both practitioner and lecturer. During this time he noticed that there was a wide discrepancy between how successful individual clinics were - a difference which had very little to do with the skill of the practitioner.

The clinics that were doing the best all had procedures in place allowing them to maximise the number of patients they attracted, keep hold of existing patients and seemingly generate referrals at will.